Fox's Wedding
by Avelona-and-Sally
Summary: Naruto accidentally spirits away a young Hinata. AU, Naruhina.
1. Chapter 1

_There's an interesting myth in Japan..._

"Ah! She's disappearing! What do I do?!

"Man, I was supposed to just get there and back! Now I have to give her a blessing!" His eyes narrowed in thought. "That reminds me…how do I give a blessing, again?"

_About when it rains when the sun's out._

Hinata's eyes opened and she looked around, coming face-to-face with a grinning be-whiskered boy.

"Hi! I'm Naruto! I'm so glad you're okay!"

_They call it a 'fox's wedding'._

[-M-]

"Th-Then, I was in the woods."

"Yep."

"And I stepped into a Fairy Ring."

"Yep."

"And because you didn't close the door, I was brought into the S-Spirit World."

"Uh-huh…"

Hinata frowned, "That's very foolish."

The _kitsune_ face-faulted, "Hey! It's not my fault!"

"Whose is it, then?" she asked, a small crease forming between her eyes as she looked at him, "Y-You brought me here, now take me back."

"Well…it's actually more complicated than that…"

"What do you mean?"

"You can't go back unless the veil between the worlds is thin, or something like that."

"'S-Something like that?!'" she gaped, "You don't even _know_ how this works? You're a _youkai, _aren't you?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"But what?!"

[-M-]

'_Neji was right; incompetence is the worst!'_ Hinata thought viciously. _'Though what he'd say about this situation, I don't know…'_

The young girl sighed. This wasn't good. It was really, really not good. Her disappearance wouldn't go over well, especially recently.

Oh, everything had been fine. Her meditation sessions went smoothly, her physical therapy courses, preparing her for the ninja career, were just fine. Apart from her stuttering and overabundance of humility, she might've actually had a chance of being the Hyuuga heir. Until the time to actually _enter the Ninja Academy_ had come up. It wasn't bad enough that Sasuke Uchiha beat her in _taijutsu, genjutsu, _AND_ ninjutsu,_ but not only that, almost _half the class_ did, as well!

She'd never thought her family could be so cold.

But she hadn't given up. She was a hard worker, diligent, and though as a Hyuuga the ninja arts should come naturally to her, it appeared that now, she was going to have to put some blood, sweat and tears into it. The training grounds were reserved for actual ninja, so she went further, into the dark, cool shadow of Konoha's famous forests.

She should've suspected it. It was common knowledge that all sorts of spirits and sprites resided in Konoha's forest, the most notorious being the foxes whose fire gave the Fire Country its name. But she _really_ needed a nice, private place to practice, and hadn't really thought to use her eyes to check for them, and…well…on the bright side, you couldn't get much more out-of-the-way than the Spirit World.

'_How could someone make such a mistake as to forget to close the door between worlds?'_ she thought to herself. Though, she supposed, she couldn't blame him, since it _was_ only his first time. And really, how was he supposed to know that she'd be out there? And shouldn't she have checked for stirrings of _chakra_ with her _Byakugan,_ anyway?

She looked out the window. This world wasn't so different from hers. The palace they were in strongly resembled the Hyuuga compound, actually, only it was much bigger, and was bustling with life. The courtyard her window looked into, though neatly arranged and beautiful as any royal garden, had no less than _five_ children running around. It seemed that all were servant children, too, as the only person she'd seen in clothes nice as the ones given to her was Naruto, though he'd been quick to find an excuse to get out of them: namely, going to look for the lady of the house, who was on a hunt.

There was one other thing, though…

Every child in the garden had a tail.

As she watched with mild horror, one completely abandoned all manners (not that they'd been using them much, anyway) and reached into the _koi_ pond, pulled out a struggling fish, and lowered it into his mouth, shutting fanged jaws with an audible snap, and covering a wet and slightly red mouth with clawed fingers bashfully. The only girl in the group gaped and began reprimanding him right away, but he and the boys just smirked, advancing on her, ready to push her into the pond.

Enough was enough! That was _not_ how one behaved in a noble household! Faster than she would've thought possible in her clothes, she hustled out of the room, heavy _kimono_ almost tripping her several times, and rushed out onto the porch.

"H-Hey!" she called, "What do you think you're doing, ganging up on a girl!"

"Pretty bold words for a human," purred a voice, and Hinata turned to see who was undoubtedly the lady of the house smirking at her. Nine tails swished back and forth behind her in amusement. "You think you can come into my house and start ordering people around, insect?"

Hinata floundered for words as the five children dropped into deep bows.

The fox's attention turned to them, and annoyance laced her words, "And you! Just what do you think you're doing, you brat?! Your father's paying for that fish, you hear me?!"

Terrified, the boy nodded, scale-dusted hands hidden behind his back.

"Go tell him! All of you!" the she-demon pointed away from the garden and the children quickly complied, leaving Hinata alone with her and Naruto, who had come in behind them sporting a big, blue bruise on his face and a bemused expression, his three golden-orange tails limp.

Hinata quickly sunk into a greeting, executing the perfect posture to display both her status and gratitude. Not a hair was out of place.

The older woman chuckled, "See that, kid? _That's_ what it looks like, not that balancing act you call a bow."

"Well, maybe if _you_ did it right once in a while. Stupid old lady," the blond mumbled into the air.

The Kyuubi ignored him. "So. You're the human that wandered into my lands. That face of hers is just sloppiness, Naruto. You should be able to bless her without leaving a mark."

Hinata touched her cheek in confusion, then realized that three long scars had popped up on her left side, identical to the ones on the male _youkai's _face.

The Nine-Tails sighed, "Look, girl, you're stuck here for another month and a half. The veil between the worlds won't thin again until Beltane, on May first."

"No way…" Hinata gaped, "W-What am I supposed to do until then?"

The fox grinned, "I like that posture. You'll…" she paused to glance at Naruto, who was looking at the _koi_ in the pond like he might reenact the chomp the servant boy had performed, "…teach my successor his manners."

"Eh?!" his head whipped around.

"W-What do you mean?" Hinata asked.

"Look at him; the kid can't put a _kimono_ on right to save his life. Can't dance, can't write well, can't perform a damn tea ceremony…" her smile widened, "You're a noblewoman, right? Show him how it's done."

"I'm not just a noble!" Hinata said, surprised at her own boldness, "I'm a ninja, too!"

"A ninja, huh?" the Nine-Tails rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "We can arrange that. Hey, brat," she turned to the blonde, "You teach her how to fight, she'll teach you how to act. Got it?"

"Man," whined the boy, "Why do I gotta learn how to do all that stuff? It's just a bunch of fancy-schmancy shit no-one cares about!"

"_Have_ to," Hinata corrected quickly, earning a smirk from the she-demon.

"It's decided," the lady nodded, and disappeared, leaving several singed leaves in her wake.

With a pout, Naruto swished his tails, producing just enough wind to blow them off the porch into the courtyard. Then he turned to her and sighed, "Alright, how the heck do I tie one of those things?" he pointed at her _kimono._

[-M-]

Tutoring Naruto in formalities was like pulling teeth. Training with him was like submitting yourself to the procedure.

He was _not_ a slacking tutor. She got a new _jutsu_ down every three days, on average, and was worked to exhaustion on the sparring field. Despite the now-constant soreness in her limbs, Hinata relished the look on his face when she met him every day looking as put-together as a Hyuuga could, which is to say, very.

And, throughout it all, she found herself becoming very fond of the fox spirit. He was bright, lovably rambunctious and honest to a fault. He didn't tolerate anyone putting themselves down, or saying 'that's enough for today' when they could go for longer. Truly, he was her exact opposite, and she found herself loving his presence. Even better than his skills as a teacher of the ninja arts were his insights into the supernatural.

"Careful, Hinata," Naruto warned, making her pause in reaching for a mushroom, "Are you sure that's the right kind?"

She pulled her hand back, "It _looks_ like the right kind…" But everyone knew that in a home of foxes, looks were not what to focus on. Making hand seals, she activated her _Byakugan,_ allowing her to check the underside of the fungi for the pattern they were looking for without getting too close. "It's the right kind." She plucked it and sniffed deeply, breathing in the scent of the delicious fungus. "I still find it amazing you know how to cook, Naruto. I never cook, and our house has far fewer cooks than yours."

He shrugged, taking the flavoring for tonight's meal and placing it with the rest of the things they'd found. "It's a survival thing. We live off of raw meat, mostly, but it gets boring. I think, if you were at home, you'd be doing this sort of thing at your Academy."

Hinata smiled, "Not _this_ sort of thing." Not camping out in the Spirit World, where the fires formed images and the stars regularly flew across the sky.

The _youkai_ grinned, "Well, that's true. This is much more awesome than the Mortal World." He checked the basket. "I think we're set. All that's left is some rabbit. You can do the honors, Hinata_-chan."_

She nodded, smiling determinedly, and removed a _kunai_ from her pouch. Rabbits could be far faster than normal here; she would kill it with one shot, before it even knew it was a target. In a flash, Naruto was gone, the only trace of him being a few slightly smoldering leaves. Following his example, she dove for cover in the tall undergrowth, bloodline active and arm tense. Dinner would probably be small; Naruto – all the foxes, actually – devoured far more than she would've thought possible for creatures of their size at every meal. She wouldn't be surprised if Naruto was actually hunting for himself right now, rather than watching her.

A heartbeat.

Her eyes followed the rabbit as it hopped about, ears flicking for any sign of danger. _'You're not going to be so lucky today,'_ she smirked. Her arm pulled back, wrist loosened, fingers released, and – dead rabbit. She got up, removed the blade from its eye with a smirk, and took it by the ears to the camp she and Naruto had established. A fire pit held several crackling logs, looking like it had recently been started. In the distance, Hinata saw a three-tailed fox tearing at a small deer. It was easier, she recognized, than attempting to eat with hands or tools.

Hinata knew the basics of cleaning carcasses and walked patiently over to him to join in the carnage, though in a less beastly way. Soon, a pound-or-so of meat, painstakingly kept away from the bowels, was skewered on several sticks and roasting lazily over the smoke. Ten minutes or so later, Naruto joined her in looking at the flames wiping away water that he'd used to clean his face. They sat like that for a while, before Naruto huffed and dumped his head in her lap.

Fighting off a blush, Hinata began plucking leaves out of his hair. _"Mou,_ Naruto, couldn't you have washed your hair with the water, too?"

"Sure," he said, "But then your lap'd be all wet." It was comfortably silent for several more moments before he spoke up, "You're really gonna go home soon, huh?"

She smiled, "It's been a month. Just a week left, and then…"

"Hey, if you ever wanna visit…" he said, "I mean, you'll be able to, you know, _see_ everything when you get to the Mortal World, so…"

Her brow furrowed, "I'll be able to see spirits?"

He nodded, "Spirits, ghosts… You'll be able to sense things, too, and I'll always hear your prayers."

Slightly dirty fingers brushed against the whisker marks on her left cheek; she smiled. "You'll be my patron deity, huh, Naruto?"

He grinned, "Yeah! I'll be the best guardian ever! Believe it!" She did.

Slowly, under the ministrations of her hand, Naruto fell asleep. Hinata continued to watch the fire.

[-M-]

"What kind of dress is _this?"_ Hinata questioned, her fingers moving over the odd make.

"The land where the Beltane celebration is being held has clothes like that," Naruto said, "Be happy. At least you're not stuck in _this."_ He waved his arms wildly, trying to settle into the vest that Kurama had forced him into.

She giggled, "You look nice. I don't think I've seen you in silks before."

He scowled, "I don't see why I have to wear it. I'll ruin it there, anyway; chances are someone'll spill beer all over me again."

A laugh had both of them turning to the doorway to see Kurama leaning against it, a silk _kimono_ draped over her figure. "If I'm right, you will. There'll be rain."

"_Eh?!"_

"Then why are you dressed in silks, Kurama_-sama?"_ Hinata queried, fingering her own gown gingerly. It was satin.

"I don't mind; you shouldn't either," she tilted her head, "Ready?"

"Yeah," Naruto sighed, and lifted Hinata. She stiffened, then relaxed. His demonic strength allowed him to balance her on one arm, then present his other to the _youkai_ for the spell. Hinata shut her eyes, held on tight, then opened them to see a field of blue sky, green grass and flowers.

"Oh-_ho!_ I was hoping you were coming! It gets boring being here alone!" A hideous, stooped crone hobbled over to them, grin splitting her face and smelling strongly of alcohol.

"Baba Yaga," The company gave a deep bow; the witch replied with a drunken curtsy.

"Who's this?" the old woman's eyes lit up at the sight of Hinata, "Such soft skin…"

"She's not a snack!" Naruto said angrily, stepping in front of Hinata.

"I know that, brat!" the woman scowled, giving the fox a cuff over the head, "I wouldn't eat a guest!"

"Lady Kurama," came another woman's voice. The source of the sound glided over as if on wheels, a long, elaborate gown, trailing behind her, "I'm delighted you could make it." She curtsied.

"Queen Titania," Again, the foxes and Hinata bowed. "Your beauty outshines even the enchanting Maypole." The Nine-Tails grinned, "You sure you're not into women?"

The fairy queen blushed, "Oh, stop. I'm married."

Naruto brightened, "That's right! Where's Puck?"

Titania's countenance darkened, "About. You'd do well to hold your tongue in my court, foxling."

"I'll keep him under control, Your Majesty," the Kyuubi assured her, giving the boy a stern glance. "This is Hinata," she continued, "A human spirited away by Naruto recently. She'll be using tonight's energy to return. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all!" the queen's sunny smile returned, "A human at the festivities! How lovely!"

"Come on," Naruto whispered to her, pulling her away from the women who were granting complements back and forth. "Stay away from everyone, okay? Even I'm not sure who's friendly and who's not, and I've been coming for centuries."

"Right," Hinata nodded. "Who…were they?"

"Titania's the queen of the Fae Court," Naruto said, "It's her party. Baba Yaga is a witch."

"Okay."

Naruto grinned, "Besides that, have fun! C'mon – Maypole first!"

The Maypole was exactly what it sounded like: a pole. As Hinata watched, though, other beings grabbed onto the ribbons trailing down from the top of the thing and all at once rose into the air as the pole grew higher and began spinning, all giggling, whooping and grabbing the hands of friends flying beside them.

She and Naruto went around three times - the pole always seemed to have another free ribbon, and even swings for those unable to hold on - and then proceeded to run to one of the tables and eat as many cakes as they could at once, Naruto stuffing three in his mouth, and then loading up plates with more food and taking an entire jug of iced and sparkling apple cider away to a nook the fox demon swore was the most beautiful place she'd ever see.

He was right. The small, hidden spot Naruto had told her about was nestled in the roots of two giant, twisted trees, less than two meters away from both a brook with many sleek fish swimming around in the crystal-clear water, and a neat fire pit that Naruto explained wouldn't let the fire get out of control, no matter what. After setting down their plates and each taking a swig of the cider, the two explored the area - wading knee-deep into the water and splashing each other, swinging themselves onto the lower branches of the trees and playing I Spy with their limited view of the festival.

"This is amazing," Hinata reclined into the smooth bark of the tree, and Naruto joined her.

"Yeah," he agreed, then pointed to what looked like a teepee on the festival grounds, adjacent to the Maypole, "At sunset, they'll light the bonfire, and that's when we have to be back to send you home."

Hinata smiled and took his hand, "I'll miss you."

He mirrored her, "Just promise you won't forget me."

"Not my patron deity," she said solemnly, and they both laughed.

"Hinata." Naruto pounded his chest with surprising force, making her look at him. "I promise, on this Beltane, that I will never forget you for as long as my vessel draws breath! You will always be important to me, Hinata!"

And though she'd gotten used to hearing such things from Naruto, something about this moment seemed different. Sacred. Like magic was saturating every breath of air she was breathing in; making her dizzy and giddy and completely empowered.

"That's a spell, isn't it?" she asked.

Naruto paused, then shrugged, "On Beltane, I guess it is. But that doesn't matter! I'll see it through, Beltane or not!"

She smiled back, "Then I swear, on this Beltane, to be from this day forward a follower of Naruto, the fox god! If his will be in my power to do, then I - "

"_Woah, woah, woah!"_ Naruto covered her mouth frantically, "Hinata! Don't say things like that! On days of power, oaths are taken _really seriously._ Only the current Nine-Tails' say would set you free from something like that."

She smiled at him, pulling his hand away, "And I trust both of you. _I put my spirit in your hands, Naruto-sama."_

The boy gaped at her, even as he felt power flood his being. Before her eyes, a fourth tail joined the three that had been lying sedately behind him, "Hinata…"

"Pacts like that need to be sealed, don't they?" she asked. Her knowledge of magic didn't extend _that_ far, but she knew enough.

"Y-Yeah…" Naruto said, gaping at her, then shaking his head furiously, "Yeah, sometimes by blood or pain, or an offering."

"Well, you're the god here," Hinata said. "What sort of offering should I make?"

His eyes landed on her scarred cheek and he thought back to his botched blessing, "A kiss can usually stand for anything significant you need in spellwork."

"Okay," Hinata said nervously, inching closer to him. "R-ready?"

Naruto scrunched his eyes shut. "Y-yeah."

Their lips touched.

[-M-]

"Oh, dear," Titania said, blinking at the sudden drizzle of rain that swept over the field. "How…? The weather gods swore up and down that today would be…"

"Ah, it makes no matter," Kurama said, putting a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder. "The sun's still out, and a little rain never hurt anybody. Besides, there's an interesting myth in Japan about when it rains while the sun's out."

"Hm?"

"They call it a 'fox's wedding.'"

…

…

A/N: This has been sitting on my computer for too long not to post.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hinata, I don't know _what_ deal you made with the devil to avoid getting soaked, but I want in." A sopping wet Ino scowled, wringing out her ponytail. Even at twelve, it hung halfway to her waist.

"Um…" Hinata glanced at the paw prints that had appeared in the soft dirt around the tree and refrained from saying anything else.

Sakura huffed, "We've got to get food before nighttime. If it keeps raining then, we'll never be able to get anything done with the water _and _the dark." The survival exercise was going to last three days; they were expected to keep themselves fed until then.

"This works for shelter," Ino said, "There's enough cover here that we won't freeze."

"Fire?" Hinata asked.

"If you can start one in this," Ino said, gesturing at the rain before straightening up.

"We'll get food, you try and find some way to get keep us warm tonight," Sakura said decisively, wiping her hands on the somewhat dry cloth of her skirt.

The girls walked away, leaving the scar-faced Hyuuga to gather all the somewhat damp twigs she could around the tree into a pile. She fumbled with handfuls of dead leaves for a while, but froze when a woody thump registered with her. A fox sat benignly next to a pile of what looked like _dry _branches, broken into usable pieces for a fire.

"Hello," she said cautiously, a smile stretching over her face. She extended a hand and the animal slunk forward to receive her petting, licking salt off her palm as it did so. "Have we met before?"

She hadn't seen Naruto's face since she came home, but foxes were always around, whether it was to hide her sandals or help her find them again when she was running late to training. Little things - like keeping dry in the rain - were easy for the tricksters, and if they were feeling benevolent, they shared. Other times (she thought back to when she was blamed for two entire fruit carts that tipped over right after she'd tripped _near _one and one of the creatures had seen an opportunity), not so much.

This one seemed happy to help her out, though, and cheerfully gave a swipe of its tail over her flint and steel when she attempted to light a fire, making the sparks about ten times more potent and causing the leaves to catch immediately. Hinata exhaled and sat down to enjoy the warmth and watch the flames, trying not to think about how the forest floor would leave stains on her pants, and shifted in accommodation when the fox settled into her lap right away.

[-M-]

"Quickly, please!" Hinata yelled, "Water and rations are in the shelters, don't stop to get any, just get inside!"

Civilians streamed in through the small doors holding children and precious belongings. She stifled the small amount of irritation at anyone who carried more than a knick-knack; if she had any relic of her time with Naruto, she'd probably want to carry it, too, even if it was bulky.

A roar shook the foundations of the buildings and Hinata flinched, wanting very badly to go outside and look, but stuck at her post. She had to restrain herself from smacking her own forehead when she remembered her ability. Activated, the Byakugan narrowed in on an enourmous amount of chakra, bigger than anything she'd ever seen before, gathered into the shape of a giant, four-legged animal...with nine tails.

She very badly wanted to believe that wasn't who she thought it was.

_'Kyuubi-sama, what have we done to offend you?'_

Two tails swung and brought down an entire block of buildings. She had to stop from crying out. Her school was there. What were the chances that children were still in the building?

"Is this where we go?" a panicked man asked her, having spotted her forehead protector.

Through the doors into which a mob of people entering? "Yes, this is the emergency shelter," she replied, keeping her voice soft to try and calm him down and make him think rationally.

He didn't really wait for her reply, just barreled through the line and scrambled inside. She and Shino exchanged quiet looks. It was probably for the best that the man was out from underfoot as quickly as possible, though she didn't want to think what the cramped conditions of the shelter would do for his mental state.

Another roar, this time more like a groan, pierced through Hinata's skull, the sound alone enough to hurt. She'd been playing with foxes that morning and they'd seemed just fine. What was going on?

Not caring if it was unprofessional, she clasped her hands together and prayed.

"Naruto," she whispered, "Please, save my village."

_Please save the people that I love. Please save my home._

The sudden disappearance of the heavy chakra that had spread out at the start of the Kyuubi attack brought her to her knees and left her ears ringing. But before she fainted, she was sure she heard the words - a whisper, but like it was said by a crowd of people all at once - _**Your prayers have been received.**_

[-M-]

Hinata blinked, staring at the hand that had held a lit stick of incense just before, then at her father, who scowled, the most emotion she'd ever seen on his face.

_"Never,"_ he bit out, "Give offerings here again." Then he walked past her, leaving her to stare at the lone stick still smoking on the ground.

In front of her, the small fox statue seemed repentant, but she supposed she was the only one that understood. Abandoning formality, she pressed her hand to her lips, then to the nose of the statue.

_"Thank you."_

A warm feeling, like a hug, wrapped around her. She closed her eyes and breathed in the smell of forest and tea that had suddenly appeared, knowing without a doubt that the one here with her was Naruto. The scars on her cheek were tingling.

"You're still my patron diety," she whispered to the air. "I don't know what happened, but please be alright. I'll bring you something once the fuss has died down."

Just one voice this time; male and older than she'd expected. _Your prayers have been received._

[-M-]

On the day her life changed once again, Hinata was sixteen and shunned as the daydreaming, overly-pious, fox-loving fool of the Hyuuga clan. And she was fighting for her life against her cousin.

Dodging Neji's violent thrusts was getting increasingly difficult, particularly since she was already suffering chakra damage from where he'd managed to strike her back when she thought he wasn't really serious and wanted to talk things out. Now she just wanted to get out of this alive.

Running didn't really work anymore, since she had the speed of a starved kitten and was limping, besides. But fighting when they were so far apart skill-wise was useless, too. So she turned to the forest, hoping to _maybe_ evade him in the winding paths - the chakra and energy the mysterious trees released confused her sometimes, so perhaps, with some faith, they'd aid her now. Even if she hadn't been approached by foxes since the attack.

"Stupid girl," Neji called behind her, "Are you even trying? I can _see you through the trees, _Hinata-sama!"

"Please stop," she whispered to herself, flinching when he actually seemed to hear her.

"You want me to stop? Use the seal, Hinata-sama!" Neji called, jumping onto a tree branch and standing horizontal to the ground. Black, inky marks were spreading from his neck to his face and the rest of him, adding to his crazed appearance. "Or are you too weak to even rely on what the Main House needs to stay in power?"

"Neji-nii-san, please," she tried, "What's gotten into you?"

"How is it that such a useless, fool girl is meant to lead the most powerful clan in Konoha?"

"How is it that a diety we all worshipped attacked our village and then abandoned us?" she sobbed, "I _don't know,_ Fate is cruel, but _nii-san,_ you have to fight - whatever this is!" She was sure those marks had something to do with this.

"No, Hinata-sama. _You_ have to fight. Here and now, we'll see what _Fate_ has decided for you. If you win, you'll have proven you're worthy of heading the clan. But you won't win." Neji smirked, launched himself into the air, began his descent towards her - and dissapeared.

Hinata blinked. Was she just seeing things now? Why did he...?

_...Oh._

A ring of mushrooms - small and almost hidden by the tall grass and ferns that were growing where they stood - sat proudly right where Neji landed. Or would have landed, had he not - Hinata felt a giggle rise up in her chest - _gone to another realm._

Well, that was one problem solved. Though she really shouldn't just leave her insane cousin to Naruto to try and stop. She took a moment to wrap some gauze around the cut on her hand, then stepped into the circle after Neji.

She immediately noticed that she was falling, and prepared accordingly, rolling when she hit the ground but still managing to get the wind knocked out of her and wheezing when she'd regained her footing. Several feet away from her, Neji was prone on his back, bleeding from a cut on his head...and fading away!

Hadn't this been the reason she'd gotten her scars? Naruto had needed to bless her for her to be able to stay in this world. But he wasn't here right now! She didn't want Neji to stop existing!

_'Please, please stay with me,'_ she thought, taking her cousin by the hand. _'Be okay, stay with me.'_ A dim memory of a kiss being needed came to her then, and she touched her lips to the unconscious boy, blinking in surprise when not only did his form regain tangibility, but the black marks from before began evaporating off his skin as well.

"Thank you, Naruto," she breathed, brushing her cousin's hair back and fussing over the cut on his temple some, trying to get the immense amount of bleeding to stop.

Unfortunately, Fate - and Hinata was beginning to agree with Neji in regards to how, for lack of a better word, _bitchy_ it was - had other plans, and a roar shook the treebranches as soon as she'd relaxed. Neji stirred, eyes flickering open - "Hinata-sama?"

"We need to move," she said to him, another guttural sound almost drowning out her words.

The other Hyuuga got up and gave the area a scan with his Byakugan, inhaling sharply through his nose when he caught sight of their strange surroundings with the help of the jutsu. Thankfully, he showed no signs of wanting to attack her. Not even of remembering that he had been doing so just moments ago. "What is this place?"

"The spirit world," she replied. "I landed here on accident in my childhood. Though I was a lot safer than we are now. I don't recognize this place."

Kyuubi's lands had been forest, with lots of shrubbery and trees clumped together enough that seeing someone through them without Naruto's vulpine sense of smell or her special ability was close to impossible. This was more field, the trees scarce and far apart, but giant and gnarled where they actually existed. They were on the edges of a small crop of forest that stuck out conspicuously in the grasses. Both Hyuuga began moving inwards.

"You've...been here before?"

"Y-Yes," Hinata answered, peering around cautiously. "When I went missing for those few days. Do you remember?"

Neji nodded an affirmation. "Do you know what that noise is?"

"Nothing good. We need to get to my friends - if we're outside their lands, they can't do much to help us, and we won't be able to take on whatever it is in our condition."

"Yes," Neji said, touching his hand gingerly to where the cut on his head was finally clotting. "What happened to us?"

"You...don't remember? At all?"

"I remember Konoha was invaded."

"That was almost two months ago," Hinata said. "It's fine, you don't need to worry about it right now."

Another few seconds of silence and then a loud, angry roar - and out from between the bushes came the biggest living creature Hinata had ever seen. It sort of, but not quite, resembled a wolf - furry, gray and faintly dog-like in appearance. The fact that it was three times as tall as her sort of took away from the typical cute effect.

"Neither of us are in good enough condition to fight it!" called Neji. "Do you have a plan for dealing with something like this?"

Hinata gave the long, white fangs one glance and made a hand motion to retreat into the trees.

"Pray."


End file.
